cloture

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

n. A parliamentary procedure by which debate is ended and an immediate vote is taken on the matter under discussion. Also called closure.

transitive v. To apply cloture to (a parliamentary debate).

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

n. In legislative assemblies that permit unlimited debate (filibuster); a motion, procedure or rule, by which debate is ended so that a vote may be taken on the matter. For example, in the United States Senate, a three-fifths majority vote of the body is required to invoke cloture and terminate debate.

Etymologies

French clôture, from Old French closture, probably alteration of closure, closure; see closure.

(American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

From the French clôture, closure. (Wiktionary)

Examples

Why not give the VP the right to provide the 60th vote when cloture is at hand or limit debate to 720 hours (1 Month)?

If so … I think that Democrats should be careful to frame this in the following way: a vote for cloture is a vote that recognizes the right of the American people to hear a frank debate about health care reform.

So any vote against cloture is now an “attempted” filibuster that justifies actual filibusters of all subsequent nominees or, worse, anonymous holds, regardless of whether the “attempt” had a plausible chance of success or was merely a symbolic protest with no likelihood of actually interfering with a nomination?